1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a dust collecting honeycomb filter. More particularly, it relates to a dust collecting honeycomb filter which can suppress damage of a flange section due to collision or the like during handling or the like.
2. Description Of Related Art
Heretofore, as a filter element of a dust collecting device, there has been used a filter of a honeycomb form (a dust collecting honeycomb filter) having a honeycomb base material having plugging portions, and a flange section formed on an outer periphery of the honeycomb base material (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
Moreover, there has been disclosed a honeycomb structure including an inner tube portion of a honeycomb form, and an outer tube portion of a honeycomb form formed on an outer periphery of the inner tube portion (e.g., see Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 2, it is described that the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion are integrally formed, when a formed honeycomb body (a honeycomb structure prior to firing) is formed by extrusion forming.
Furthermore, as the dust collecting honeycomb filter, there has been disclosed a filter of a honeycomb form having a honeycomb base material (a main body) having plugging portions, and a flange section formed on an outer periphery of the honeycomb base material (e.g., see Patent Document 3). In Patent Document 3, it is described that the filter of the honeycomb form can be prepared by an integral forming method which is a manufacturing method of integrally forming a main body portion and a flange portion, followed by firing.
In Patent Document 2, the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion are integrally formed to prepare the inner tube portion of the honeycomb form and the outer tube portion of the honeycomb form, and hence it is presumed that the flange section of the filter described in Patent Document 3 also has the honeycomb form.
In such a dust collecting honeycomb filter as described above, the flange section is usually used to fix the honeycomb filter to a passage of a fluid. Furthermore, the flange section in the dust collecting honeycomb filter is also utilized as a grip portion (a portion to be gripped) during movement by a human hand or a robot, and a value of utilization other than the fixing (assembling) to the passage of the fluid also increases.
However, in the flange section in the dust collecting honeycomb filter, the problem has occurred that chips or cracks are generated due to mutual collision or contact of the flange sections, collision or contact of the flange section with another object, or the like during handling, during movement on a conveyer, or the like.